CIA/NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000100650012-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 21, 2007
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: April 9, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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RADIO TV REPORTS, INC.
4701 WILLARD AVENUE, CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND 20815 656-4068
FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF
PROGRAM The McLaughlin Group
DATE April 9, 1983 7:30 P.M.
SUBJECT CIA/Nicaragua
STATION W R C- TV
Washington, D.C.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN: Guerrilla fighters in Nicaragua are
staging insurgent activities within Nicaragua and in Honduras,
contiguous Honduras, against the Sandinista regime back in
Nicaragua. The United States, notably the CIA, is reportedly
supplying covert aid to these contras. Covert, by the way, means
secret, Mort. And high-ranking...
MORTON KONDRACKE: Contras means against.
MCLAUGHLIN: Very good, Mort.
And high-ranking officials in the Department of State
are saying that this covert help may be illegal. Some con-
gressmen are saying, indeed, that the President has not fully
informed them as to the extent of the help, and he also may be
behaving in a way that can be characterized as illegal.
Who's right and who's wrong on this inflamed issue?
KONDRACKE: Well, the law on the subject is the Boland
Amendment, passed last December, which says that we shouldn't
give any aid to these contras for the purpose of overthrowing the
Nicaraguan government or provoking a war between Honduras and
Nicaragua.
Now, there are 2000 or so -- possibly 5000 -- guerrillas
inside Nicaragua at any particular time. And it's very difficult
for me to see how 2000 guerrillas can topple a government which
has 25,000 men in arms, Soviet tanks, and about 50,000 militia-
men.
So, I don't see that the law is being violated. And
Material supplied by Radio N Reports, Inc, may be used for file and reference purposes only. It may not be reproduced, sold or publicly demonstrated or exhibited.
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furthermore, the United States, if you believe the Reagan
Administration -- and on this I happen to believe them -- the
purpose, our purpose involved in all of this is to force the
Nicaraguans to stop sending in arms to El Salvador. And I think
that the Congress is overreacting, is overfearful, and ought to
let the Administration go ahead.
MCLAUGHLIN: I think that's an exceptionally enlightened
thought, especially from Mort.
JACK GERMOND: I think Mort believes in the Easter
Bunny. The evidence on what we're doing there is so overwhelming
from independent sources that the idea that all we're trying to
do is interdict a movement in one direction, a movement toward El
Salvador, I think is nonsense.
ROBERT NOVAK: Unfortunately, I have to agree with Jack,
'cause I really dislike disagreeing with Morton on something like
that when I think he's trying to take the right position.
The truth of the matter is that there are people in this
government in policymaking affairs who, correctly, in my opinion,
believe that we are going to lose the entire Central Amerian
peninsular, we're going to have a terrible subversion in Mexico
until and unless the cancer is removed from Nicaragua. And this
is a cancer-removing operation. And if the media would get off
the backs and the Congress would get off the backs of the
government...
GERMOND: Wait a minute. Are you arguing that the media
shouldn't cover and expose what we're doing there?
NOVAK: I think it almost borders on disloyalty, not so
much printing these secret documents, but leaking secret doc-
uments in the press.
GERMOND: Let me make one other point here. It's
obvious. If you'd have had that leak that the New York Times had
last week, you wouldn't have printed it? You'd have been
screaming at the top of your lungs.
NOVAK: I think Evans and Novak always try to be
patriotic...
JOSEPH KRAFT: ...being overwhelmed by our preferences
and passions, and not paying attention to the evidence, which I
think is extremely confusing. But almost all the evidence,
particularly the story that the Administration is being opposed
from within by State Department officials, and the leak, come out
of the White House. And while I don't think I fully understand
what's going on, and I really am confused, the one interpretation
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that makes any sense to me is that the White House is getting
ready to dump the operation, that they know it is not going to be
successful, that they know it is not all that serious, and they
are (A) blaming low-level or medium-level State Department
officials and (B), through that leak, blaming General Haig, who
got them into it.
MCLAUGHLIN: A quick caucus question, please, Bob, if
you don't mind my interrupting you. And that is this: Do you
support covert aid to the guerrilla Nicaraguans seeking to
overthrow the Sandinista regime? Yes or no.
Joe.
KRAFT: I'm not against it in principle.
MCLAUGHLIN: Bob.
NOVAK: Yes, but it should be more covert.
MCLAUGHLIN: Jack.
GERMOND: Well, I am against it in principle. I think
it's a very foolish thing for us to be doing.
MCLAUGHLIN: Mort.
KONDRACKE: I'm in favor of it in principle. I would
help democratic forces rather than Somozistas.
[Confusion of voices]
MCLAUGHLIN: You ask Mort, does he love his mother, and
he says yes and no. Right.
Now listen, Mort. The answer is yes.
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